Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I would appreciate if the Taoiseach could deal with the issue of insurance, which I also raised, and the need for the State to provide information to consumers. Insurance Ireland, which is the insurance industry representative body, has provided information but that is the industry. I think the State's consumer watchdog should be front and centre in providing whatever information and reassurance people need about their rights and entitlements. We also need a commitment from Government that it will engage with the insurance industry to make sure that claims are dealt with efficiently and are settled as quickly as possible and that the cost of this storm in terms of insurance payouts will not be used unjustifiably as cover for increasing premiums for households and businesses around the country.

The concern people have about electricity and water is that progress will slow down.

There are still 125,000 homes without power. Some are in urban centres in large housing estates; therefore, it is not only one-off houses which are still affected. I spoke to the ESB this morning about the need for it to update its website powercheck.ie because the houses that remain without power are not reflected on the website. It is welcome that it is now updating the estimated restoration times around the country. That is the type of practical information consumers need to prepare and plan for the period until their power and water supplies are restored.

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